Media reports quoted relatives of the passengers as saying that around 58 passengers were missing, while officials had earlier said 80 passengers were on board.
Many people died when a boat capsized in Bangladesh.
The death toll when a boat capsized in northwestern Bangladesh on Sunday rose to 39 on Monday. Most of the dead are children and women. Hindu devotees were on their way to the Bodeshwari temple on the occasion of Mahalaya ahead of the Durga Puja festival on Sunday when their boat capsized in the Koroto river in the country’s north-western Panchgarh district.
A fire service official told reporters at the scene that our rescue teams have recovered nine more bodies overnight, however, the search is still on. Another official said that some bodies were found in a river in Dinajpur…the bodies were allegedly washed away due to the strong current. According to the news of ‘bdnews24.com’, Dipankar Roy, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Panchgarh said that a total of 39 bodies have been recovered so far. These include 11 children, 21 women and seven men.
About 58 passengers missing
Media reports quoted relatives of the passengers as saying that around 58 passengers were missing, while officials had earlier said 80 passengers were on board. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted the investigating body chief Roy as saying, “As per the initial investigation, there were more people in the boat than capacity. According to the newspaper, “However, he also said that there could be other reasons behind the sinking of the boat, but it will be revealed by the committee after completing its investigation.
More than 150 passengers aboard the boat
Soleman Ali, the administrative head of the sub-district, said that the sailor had asked some people to get down in the boat to reduce the weight, but no one listened to him. Witnesses claim that more than 150 passengers were on board the boat. Some people swam back to the bank of the river, but many are still missing. Roy said the fire service is leading the search operation in Panchgarh.
(with language input)